


The Monster Under your Bed

by sunflower_crown



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Fluff, M/M, just small children, no romantic feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 15:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3176723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflower_crown/pseuds/sunflower_crown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaneki belongs to a strange group of beings that live under beds and are known for scaring children.  However, Kaneki has been abandoned in an empty house for years.  That is, until a bright-haired boy and his family move in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Monster Under your Bed

**Author's Note:**

> This is my birthday present for my wonderful twinnu!! I love you so much, and I hope this little thing brings even a pinch of light into your day~  
> Also, thanks to my beta jam_jam I swear I would be useless without you

It had been a week since the new family had moved into the house. Luckily it was a small family, and you hoped they wouldn't be too much trouble. However, their young son had ended up in the same room you inhabited.

Your people had been referred to by many names, but were most commonly known as "the monster under the bed." Your family had lived here for decades, and it had been your parents’ mission to scare each generation of human children as they passed through. They were very well-known for their abilities. That is, until a few years ago.

It was during the time that the last residents lived here that it happened. Thinking that no one was home to catch them, they ventured out from your hidden home. Unfortunately, the human father happened to walk in. That was the day your parents were taken from you. It has been a few years and you still have yet to see them.

After the incident, you hid. You haven't scared anyone, and you didn't want to risk leaving your nest. You have hidden under this bed for years in this empty house, too terrified to risk venturing out.

But now a family has moved in, and a new threat was presented in the form of a bright young boy.

The first few weeks, although terrifying, went smoothly enough. The worst night was when the boy invited some other human children his age into his room. Some of them stayed the night and slept on the floor, which was directly in your line of sight. Luckily, none of them became interested in what may lie under the bed.

The next day, it appeared that one of the boys had left something in the room. The bright haired one came tearing through the room, saying something about a "phone". You remembered seeing one of those before, they were those odd rectangular things that lit up. Humans seemed so fascinated with those. However, they also seemed to lose them a lot, and you had come in contact with many over the years.

There was a buzz and a flash of light next to your elbow, and you realized it was what the boy had been looking for. Before he could look under the bed, you quickly slid the object across the floor to him. However, you accidentally pushed it too hard and it collided with his heel. Before he could react, you dove back into your nest.

You held your breath in terror. This was it—you were going to be found out. He would scream and you'd be taken away, just like your parents. Your blood rushed through your veins and your knees began to shake. Your eyes widened as the boy began to slowly turn around and—

And nothing. After a moment, he turned and jogged out the door. It was a moment before you learned to breathe again, and even then the tension didn't release from your shoulders. You crouched against the wall and desperately tried to calm your racing heart.

 

* * *

 

As the days passed, the nights grew longer and colder. Winters here were usually pretty bad, but this year was unbearable. You burrowed deeper into your nest, but the icy surroundings offered you no solace. You would just have to sit this one out and hope your shivers faded in time.

"I know you're there."

Suddenly, everything froze. Maybe he was just talking in his sleep. Some humans did that. Maybe if you stayed silent he would go back to sleep. But your heart hammered against your chest at the thought of discovery.

"Why don't you come up here? It's gotta be warmer than being down there on the cold hard floor," the calm, soothing voice said.

What? Was he talking to you? No, it couldn't have been. He must have been talking in his sleep, or to a pet.

Except his voice sounded so clear.

And the family didn't own a pet.

_Oh no._

"Hey, you don't have to be shy! I won't bite!" the voice said encouragingly.

Your mind became frantic as your breathing and heart rate raced impossibly faster. Was he crazy? As soon as you crawled out into the light he would scream, completely disgusted and terrified at your appearance. It would mean the end of you.

In the back of your mind you heard the bed shift above you. When you looked up, a bright smiling face was staring at you.

"Hi!" the boy said.

You were startled and banged your head against the bed frame above you. As soon as you regained your senses, you scrambled back into your nest.

"Hey, its okay, I won't hurt you," the boy said, his eyebrows creasing in concern. He seemed to consider something for a moment before reaching his hand out. "My name is Hideyoshi Nagachika, but you can just call me Hide. Would you like to be my friend?"

You looked at him with hesitation and distrust before finding your voice. "You . . . you aren't scared of me?" Your voice came out scratchy and rough. It had seemed like forever since you had talked to anyone.

"No, why would I?" Hide said, tilting his head to the side. "Hey, why don't you come out so I can see you?"

You looked into his eyes for a moment, trying to judge his intentions. It seemed he was telling the truth . . . and you couldn't sense any malice in his words. . .

You swallowed to steel your nerves and, with shaky arms, began to pull yourself forward. This was going against everything you had ever learned, everything you had been living by for years. But those warm brown eyes coaxed you out of your shell.

When you had pulled your legs out and wrapped your arms around them, you looked up to see Hide's eyes alight with joy. You buried your face, trying to hide yourself.

"Hey! You look like you're my age!" he said cheerfully. "Whats your name?"

You peeked at him through your fingers, waiting for the gasp of shock or the yells of disgust.

"You . . . still aren't afraid of me? Aren't I strange looking?" you said, your voice rising with stress.

"Well, let me see you . . ." Hide said as he grabbed your wrists, gently pulling your hands from your face.

You had only seen your reflection once. It was back when your parents were alive, when your were naive and venturous. The human family was out and your parents were asleep. In a bout of courage, you crawled out of your safe haven and stumbled into the room. In front of you stood another figure. Many times, you had seen humans stand in front of this strange object, and a backwards image of themselves appeared in it. The figure that had stood in front of you must have been yourself.

Your eyes swept over your image, taking everything in. You were actually quite surprised to see how much you looked like the humans. But your face held the tell-tale signs that you had seen in your parents. You reached out with your chubby toddler hands to touch the cold surface of the image.

You stared into the image and it stared back. There they were, the eyes you had seen in your parents all your life, and the one thing that set you apart from the humans. The irises of your eyes were an inky black. In the center of them sat two deep red orbs. These eyes were meant for terrifying the souls who dared look into them.

You revealed your eyes to him and he let out a shocked gasp. Just as you were scrambling for cover from the storm you knew would come, he latched onto your arms.

"They're so cool! Wow, I wonder why they look like that? Is it because you spend most of your time in darkness?" Hide said as he rambled on, eyes alight with curiosity.

More confusion swept over you and your patience snapped. "Wait! Hide! How are you not scared of me? Why aren't you calling your parents? Why aren't you running?" you said frantically, your pulse picking up pace.

"What are you talking about?" Hide asked, shaking his head. "You look pretty normal to me."

You sat there completely stunned. It was the first time anyone had ever used that word to describe you. The humans thought of your kind as "freaks" and "monsters." Even your parents, who loved you very much, constantly reminded you of that to instill fear in you. You had been living in fear all your life, thinking you were anything but what this bright young boy had called you.

"You're shivering." To your surprise, you found that he was telling the truth. You were shivering on the cold hard floor, goosebumps rising on your arms.

"Here, lets get you warm," Hide said, pulling you by the arm.

He climbed in bed and, despite your protests, pulled you in after him and wrapped you in every blanket he had. Soon, you were cocooned in them. Warmth began to spread through you and soon you felt it in your toes. Hide hugged you and held your shoulders to provide whatever warmth he could. After a while, he spoke.

"Much better?" he asked sleepily.

"Y-yeah, I think so . . ." you reply sheepishly.

Then he lied down and pulled you down with him. You were shocked at the sudden contact as he snuggled close. You hadn't been this close to anyone since your parents died, especially humans. And as you lay there, you felt your walls slowly crumble around you.

“. . . Kaneki . . .” you whispered.

“Hm?” Hide mumbled sleepily, tightening his grip around you.

“My . . . my name is Kaneki,” you clarified.

Hide started shaking, and soon you heard a laugh bubble up out of his chest. You were confused. Was your name really that strange?

“I-Im so sorry, Kaneki. I’m just so happy!” He said between giggles. "Kaneki, Kaneki, Ka-ne-ki!" He chanted, playing around with your name. "I’m so happy you want to be my friend, Kaneki.”

Your eyes widened, and a warmth seeped through your chest as you listened to his musical laugh. It was beautiful, really, so light and carefree. It had been so long since you had heard something that beautiful. It enveloped you in warmth and you pulled yourself closer, feeling comfortably at home.

Soon you heard a light snoring and looked up to see the soft smile on his sleeping face. You let out a soft chuckle, joy filling you as you saw his own happiness. As you laid your head back down, a sigh of contentment escaped your lips. You had never left your nest, but for some reason you had never felt so at home as you did in that moment, next to this boy.

Your breathing slowed as you drifted off into peaceful content and sweet dreams. And for the first time in your life, you fell asleep with a soft smile on your face.


End file.
